The Fires In Which We Burn
by Sreya
Summary: Skye meets up with her father, Ward, and Whitehall in the temple of the mysterious city. Of course, it all goes to hell. Basically crazy speculation fic about the nature of the Diviner and Skye's relationship with it, and what happens when she possesses it.
1. Time is a brisk wind

**Chapter 1: Time is a brisk wind, for each hour it brings something new**

As usual, it all goes to hell just when it looked like things would work out.

Bullets are flying through the ancient temple. Skye is pinned down in an alcove near the dais, and she can see her father laying there bleeding out in front of the pedestal on which he'd placed the Obelisk before it opened up, blossoming like a flower to reveal a dazzling crystal inside of it. Ward is directly across from her in an opposite alcove, shooting into the back of the temple as Skye shoots into the front. She doesn't know whether he's firing at SHIELD agents, Hydra thugs, or local inhabitants. Right now she doesn't care. She's just trying to find an opening to dash over and see if her father - _her father!_ - is even still alive.

It's hard to see what she's shooting at, though. The sunlight from the opening in the roof strikes the crystal from the Obelisk and reflects at crazy angles, making the open dais super bright while the rest of the temple is in the dark. She watches for glints of a gun firing at her, and shoots back. She's grateful she's carrying an ICER today, so she doesn't have to worry about killing one of her own on accident. Thought it'd still be a bad idea.

From the pedestal, she hears a pained groan and sees her father move slightly. Her heart leaps up into her throat - _thank god, he's still alive!_ - and she takes out another shooter then takes a chance to dash across to him. Ward is shouting at her, but she ignores him as she slides up to the man on the floor, gripping his hand.

"The diviner…" he rasps out, then coughs up blood onto Skye's hands. She just grips him tighter. "It's all yours… you have to… you can't let them…" He's coughing again and she leans close to listen as his voice grows faint. "You can save her," he rasps. "You can fix it, fix us, you… you…"

She doesn't stop the tears from falling as he struggles to speak, then simply squeezes her hands and _lets go_. She thinks she screams, tries to shake him a bit. Everything is muffled, nothing feels right, for that moment, all she feels is the loss and rage of losing her father again before she really even found him. She irrationally hates everything: she hates SHIELD, she hates Hydra, she hates damned _Peggy Carter_ for leaving the damned _Obelisk _in a freaking _warehouse_ where anyone could get to it and start this whole _damned mess _instead of destroying it like she should have…

Dimly, she can hear Ward shouting again, and then he cries out in pain. She looks up to see he's fallen and dropped his gun. He's struggling to get back up, and she follows his line of sight to the threat. _Whitehall_. Whitehall is striding through the room, heedless of the firefight around them. His gaze is intent on the crystal.

Something white hot shoots through Skye. He will _not_ take it! She _won't_ let _anyone_ take the one thing she has from her family. Standing, she reaches for the crystal. Ward shouts again, this time in horror as he warns her not to touch it, that she can't -

Her fingers wrap around the facets of the crystal and the world goes white. For a moment, the only things that exist are Skye and the Crystal as it glows brighter than a star. Wind whips around her, pulling at her hair and her clothes, though it burns like a fire only countered by the iciness of the Crystal in her hand. She wants to close her eyes against it, but she's frozen, captured by the Crystal and _whatever_ it's doing.

Then the universe tears itself apart.

{ ~ S.H.I.E.L.D. ~ }

She's lying on a cold cement floor. She stays there, taking slow breaths as the fog dissipates from her thoughts. Slowly, she remembers who she is, what she was doing. She feels a pang of fear as she wonders what happened - are the others all right? Her eyes spring open and she pushes herself up -

- and she's in a _warehouse_.

Skye looks around in confusion. What happened to the temple? Where did everyone go? She brushes her hair out of her face and stands up, wincing as her muscles creak and ache as though she'd been lying on that floor for hours. The lighting is dim, with only a few lights scattered around for security purposes. The open storage shelves around her are full of boxes, all coded by numbers. Patting herself down, Skye can't find a weapon - she must have dropped her ICER when she went for her father.

_her father is dead he's dead he's dead he's_

Shaking herself, she cautiously makes her way to the end of the aisle and looks around. She sees a door and runs over to open it - of course, it's locked. And she doesn't see anything lying around to pick her way through it. She turns around to search for another way out just as a guard comes around a corner with a flashlight.

Startled, he raises the beam straight into her face and she winces, putting her hands up to show she's unarmed. "How did you get in here?" the guard stammers, finally thinking to bring his gun up to train on her.

She smiles wanly. "Would you believe me if I said I don't know?"

Of _course_ he doesn't believe her. Skye wouldn't believe that excuse herself if it wasn't coming from her own lips. With a speed that doesn't match his introductory demeanor, the guard calls for backup over a radio, and soon Skye is sitting in a holding cell. She's told three people already that she doesn't know how she got into the warehouse, that she doesn't even know what warehouse she's _in_, and can she please speak to someone in charge?

So they make her wait. She paces in the small cell, trying to keep herself active so her mind won't wander. But of course it does. She's worried about her team, and what happened at the temple. She's worried about _Ward_ of all people, the image of him struggling to warn her as he lay bleeding on the floor coming up over and over again. But most of all, she keeps shoving away the memory of her father dying in her hands as he tried to tell her something, but she doesn't want to think about it and it doesn't make any sense anyway. So she paces, and runs through mental exercises she learned from May, and does everything she can to keep the ghosts away.

Finally, someone comes in to retrieve her and takes her to a room with a table and chairs. She assumes they finally found someone to turn her over to, so someone else can figure out what to do with her. Before she can sit, another woman walks into the room and Skye's mouth drops open in shock.

The woman before her wears a trim skirt suit that swirled about her knees, and no-nonsense low heels. Her hair is pulled up away from her face, and her eyes scan Skye with a keen intelligence. But what shocks Skye is that she _recognizes_ this woman. Not that they've met, but she's seen pictures of course.

"Hello," the woman says in a light British accent, holding out her hand. "My name is -"

"_Peggy Carter,"_ Skye breathes.

{ ~ S.H.I.E.L.D. ~ }

Story title is from a quote: "Time is the school in which we learn, time is the fire in which we burn." ~ Delmore Schwartz  
>Chapter title is from: "Time is a brisk wind, for each hour it brings something new... but who can understand and measure its sharp breath, its mystery and its design?" ~Paracelsus<p>

I don't seriously think the midseason is going to go this direction, but the "what if" occurred to me and won't let me go.


	2. A lot like yesterday, a lot like never

Dropped unexpectedly into 1949, Skye finds herself with an unimaginable opportunity to change the course of history.

**Notes: **_Sorry, work and the arrival of household goods killed the writing muse for a while. But I'm picking back up again! (Probably helps that I'm blocked from all social media for the moment) And thankfully, the Agent Carter series is very much helping my inspiration right now. Loving that show, even if there are a couple of characters I'd very much like to send Natasha after._  
><em>This has very definitely ventured into AU territory, though don't worry, I actually have a way to eventually tie back into the Inhumans storyline - I'm actually pretty excited about it.<em>

**Chapter 2: A lot like yesterday, a lot like never.**

To say they don't believe her story is an understatement. Hell, _Skye_ can barely believe her story. But if the pre-computer age offices and World War II era uniforms and the hokey radio equipment don't convince her that she's traveled back in time to 1949, the presence of Peggy Carter, Howard Stark, and other SHIELD founding notables does the trick. But believing it herself is only the beginning.

At first, they think she's spinning a tale after being caught trying to steal from the warehouse. But when she sticks too stubbornly to her story and expresses genuine surprise by the world around her, they begin to think she's insane. It's only after a series of rigorous (and invasive) testing - which reveal substances in her blood that shouldn't be there (and the absence of some that should), evidence of standard 21st century medical treatments that are barely imaginable in the 40s, and even chemicals in her _hair product_ that are unknown to them - that they even consider the possibility of it. Frankly, Skye is a little insulted. Isn't this SHIELD, the organization that is founded on studying and combatting the impossible to believe?

But finally the interview sessions move from interrogations to genuine curiosity about the future. Skye almost misses the former - at least those were relatively short. Now she finds herself in a box for hours upon hours answering questions about the world she comes from, and it's frustrating when she realizes that, sometimes, she doesn't know as much as she thought she did. But she also tries to keep things vague, sticking to public information and, more importantly, before the reveal of Hydra hiding within SHIELD's ranks. With her luck, she'll end up with a Hydra sleeper agent on the other side of the table.

Eventually, she's given real clothes to wear again (or at least what _they_ think are real clothes; Skye would kill to have a pair of jeans and a flannel button down shirt) and brought to a real conference room complete with windows. There's one guard left in the room with her as she sits uncomfortably in a skirt and blouse, slipping her feet in and out of her pumps and looking out the window at New York. The skyline is eerily different, reminding her of the first time she saw New York again after the Chitauri attack. But the bustle of people and honking of horns are familiar, and a nice change from whatever basement they've kept her in over the last several weeks. When the door opened and the guard came to full attention, Skye turns to see Agent Carter and a man who looks to be in his sixties, hair gone gray with glasses perched on his nose, entering the room. She raises her eyebrows at them, staying firmly in her seat.

"Miss…" the man glances down to a file in his hand, "Skye, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet anyone, frankly," Skye snarks. "Can't say the faces rotated all too much in that basement."

The man's brow furrows in irritation, though Carter's eyes seem to hold a spark of amusement. "We had to take precautions, of course." He bites out. "I'm sure you understand, as an agent yourself."

Agent Carter steps forward a bit at that point. "Skye, this is Richard Stoner, the director of SHIELD. We thought it time to discuss how to move forward."

Skye leans forward in her chair. "You're gonna help me get home, right?"

Stoner pulls out a chair at the table and sits down smoothly. "I'm going to be honest with you - we don't know if that's technically possible."

"While your honesty is refreshing, I don't know what the problem is." Skye responds. "Just let me have the Obelisk."

"First of all, there's no guarantee that the Obelisk will send you back to your own time." Stoner gestures to the file in front of him. "You said yourself you don't know why it sent you to _this_ time. Without knowing how to control it, you could end up in some other time entirely." Skye shifts uncomfortably. "Second, we have no idea what other effects the Obelisk may have. You arrived safely, but you don't know what effect it had on your team and the others around you when you were, well, transported."

Skye turns absolutely white. "You think - you think I _killed _them with it?"

"We don't know," Carter speaks up quickly. "But that's all any of us can say right now - that _we don't know_. Until we _do_ know more about it, it's not safe for you to try and return home."

Trying to process that, Skye grips the table. "I can't… I can't just _stay_ here."

"We're not saying we won't try." Stoner tries to reassure her. "I just don't want to make any unreasonable promises here."

Slowly, Skye takes a deep breath and nods her head. "Okay." She takes another deep breath. "Okay. So, what am I supposed to do?"

Agent Carter steps up to the table and pulls out a chair at this point. "We'd like you to help us while you're here. We know there are things you haven't told us yet" - Skye snorts and mumbles, "_you have no idea" _under her breath - "and we'd like to start talking about some of that. You could help us prepare for some of what's coming."

Stoner leans forward and presses his glasses further up his nose. "You've presented us with an incredible opportunity, Skye. You can help us defeat our enemies before they even become a serious threat. From what you've already told us, the future is by no means peaceful. You could help save thousands of lives."

She looks warily between the two - the director looking at her like an unopened Christmas present, the agent wary as though approaching an unfamiliar, though cute, dog. "And will I be doing all of this with my own bunker?" she asks sarcastically.

"You'll be living here in New York. You'll be given a living stipend, transportation, anything you need."

"Stipend." Skye repeats. "I'm guessing that comes along with my very own babysitter."

"I'm afraid that will be necessary, yes."

The future SHIELD agent frowns. "Then I want to work with Agent Carter."

Both of them are surprised at that. "Skye, I can assure you, only the best -"

"It's Agent Carter, or no one. If I'm going to be stuck with someone, then I want it to be someone I trust." She can see Stoner's face turning pink, and is sure they'll refuse until Carter reaches over and lightly touches his arm with a quiet, "A word, Director?" Pursing his lips, Stoner nods in agreement and the two leave the conference room. Skye wishes she were in one with a glass wall so she could see their discussion outside, maybe try to read their lips. But she's left inside to drum her fingers on the table.

Eventually, the door opens and Carter reenters, this time alone. She first walks over to the guard and quietly asks him to leave the room, then comes to sit down next to Skye again. "You _will_ tell me what this is all about."

Skye grinned. "I will. But only when I'm sure it's safe."

Carter raised an eyebrow at that. "I can't think of a safer place than SHIELD's headquarters."

Sobering, Skye shook her head and replied in a voice just above a whisper, "You'll feel differently after I've explained everything."

{ ~ S.H.I.E.L.D. ~ }

Carter takes a company car and drives them well out of New York city. Rural New York appeared much faster than Skye expects it to - she has to remind herself that urban sprawl has yet to make it's presence truly known. They find an open field and park next to it, and Skye leads her until the car is just a blip on the horizon. Stopping, she paces a few minutes before facing Carter straight on. "You're not going to like what I have to say, but you need to listen to it."

Carter just folds her hands serenely. "I rather doubt you could surprise me at this point in my life."

Skye smiled wryly. "Not even by saying that Hydra is inside S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

Agent Carter is visibly stunned, and her mouth falls open. "But that's - we - that's impossible! Hydra is gone, we imprisoned the last of them."

"The problem is exactly that you _didn't_." Skye turns and twists on a heel, swears and yanks the shoe off. "You led Zola in through the front door."

As Skye explains, Carter slowly sits down on the ground and listens carefully. Skye gives her everything they'd learned from Natasha Romanoff and Grant Ward, how Zola carefully cultivated loyal agents within the organization, planting the seeds for a revival 70 years in the making. At certain points, her heart races and the world around her seems to shimmer, but when she blinks the sensation is gone, so she just figures it's an effect of being outside after spending so long in a bunker. A memory of Ward being led out of Vault D flashes through her mind, and she ruthlessly suppresses it and instead focuses on trying to explain how Hydra could hide within SHIELD for so long.

Eventually, she reaches her own time, and pauses. "This next part, well, it might be good news or bad news, depending on how you look at it."

Carter laughs sharply and rubs her temple. "Just rip the bandage off, Skye."

"We found Captain America." Skye watches the other woman carefully. "In 2011. And - well, he was frozen, but wakes back up. The serum preserved him in the ice."

After a moment of silence, Carter starts laughing helplessly as tears stream down her face. "This is all a joke, right?" she gasps. "A cruel prank?"

Skye just reaches out a hand and gently squeezes her shoulder. Eventually, Carter takes a deep breath and wipes the moisture from her eyes. "Where is he?"

_Crap_. "Somewhere in the Arctic circle is all I know. It wasn't widely publicized where, and I never had reason to go looking for the exact location. I think it was some oil exploration group that actually finds him."

Nodding, Carter pushes some loose hair back behind her ears. "Well. I guess we can try to start the search again at least."

"We probably wouldn't have survived Hydra without him," Skye says softly. "He stood up to them, even when they had SHIELD still under their control and hunting him down."

"Of course he did. Will. Oh," Carter laughs a bit, "this is all very confusing."

"Tell me about it!" Skye snorts. The two sit quietly together and listen to the quiet sounds around them. Skye notices the sun is starting to dip toward the horizon, and realizes they've spent most of the afternoon in the field. "But maybe we can fix it. I mean, we know it starts with Zola, so if we can stop him…"

Carter nods, though her expression is pensive. "It won't be easy. He's become one of our most valuable scientists - he has an understanding of energy and molecular biology that is far beyond anyone else. And his knowledge about the Tesseract has been invaluable."

"The Tesseract?" Skye asks in surprise. "Shit, I forgot he worked on that project, too. So Stark's already found it?"

"In 1945. Zola helped us to create a containment unit for us."

"Betting that's not all he did with it," Skye grumbles.

"We'll have to find iron-clad proof," Carter warns. "SHIELD may be willing to use your intel to take down outside threats, but it won't be enough to stop a respected member of the organization. And if you're right about other agents already in place -"

"- We'll have to be extra careful about who we trust with this," Skye finished. "Why do you think I insisted on talking to you? And so far from headquarters?"

"Well." Carter stands up and reaches out a hand to help Skye up. "Sounds like we're going to have a lot of work to do. Satisfy Stoner's curiosity, take down Hydra, and get you home."

Sighing, Skye picks up her shoes and hops as she puts them back on. "I'm guessing this isn't going to be over by the end of the week?"

"No. And you'll likely come into contact with a lot of people." Tipping her head as they walk through the field, Carter gives Skye an assessing look. "We're not going to want you standing out too much. We should probably use another name for you - 'Skye' is just a little, well, odd."

"That's why I like it so much." Skye grins. "But I know what you mean. What would you suggest?"

"Something bland and unmemorable, but it should be close enough that you can adjust to it quickly. So let's stick with the 'S' - maybe Sally?"

"Ugh!" Skye looks at Carter in horror. "You're kidding me, right?"

"Sally's a perfectly good name!" Carter retorts. "Fine, then what about Susan?"

"Yuck, no. Too close to what the nuns called me." Skye sees the other woman's curious gaze at that, but is relieved when she doesn't ask. "Shelly?"

"What kind of a name is Shelly?" Carter rolls her eyes. "Shirley?"

Skye laughs. "Like Shirley Temple? No way!"

The two trade name ideas until the reach the car, at which point Carter shakes her head and says, "We need to use _something_, Skye."

Sighing, she thinks back through the names Peggy had suggested. "I guess… well, Stella isn't so far off from Skye. Even if it sounds like an old lady."

"I'll have you know that is a very fashionable name for a young lady," Carter chides her. "So - Stella Smith?"

"Good grief, are you _trying_ to make me sound made up?" Skye opens the passenger door of the car and sits down, waiting for Carter to start the engine before she says, "Stella Johnson. Still common, not so alliterative."

"Well, then," Carter turns and offers a hand to shake. "Pleasure to meet you, Stella Johnson."

Skye laughs and grips the offered hand. "No, the pleasure is mine, Agent Carter."

Carter smiles. "Please," she puts the car in gear and starts driving, "if we're going to be working together, call me Peggy."

Skye grins, and for the first time since laying her eyes on the Obelisk she feels like she's gained back a little control over her life. This was her chance - she was going to take down Hydra before it completely corrupted SHIELD, before it could go after her family. Just maybe, the Obelisk wasn't so bad after all.

{ ~ S.H.I.E.L.D. ~ }

_A lot like yesterday, a lot like never._  
><em>~Tim O'Brien, The Things They Carried<em>


End file.
